Rotative Locking Device for Orthopedic Braces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional rotatable knob locking systems in the orthopedic-rehabilitation sector experience uncontrolled and instantaneous release of the locking cable, leading to abrupt detachment of components, which is undesirable in applications requiring gradual opening.
Innovation Solution
A rotatably operated locking device with a knob connected to a reel via a reduction system or direct drive, allowing the knob to slide axially but not rotate independently, enabling controlled release by utilizing a ratchet mechanism with elastic tabs for precise positioning and preventing excessive opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the knob is completely freed from the reel in the release step, then the release operation is simple and quick, but the cable unwinds uncontrolled and instantly causing abrupt detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the reel with controlled unwinding capability) between the knob and the cable. When the knob is raised for release, the reel acts as a mediator that controls the cable unwinding process, preventing instantaneous release while maintaining operational simplicity. The reel's controlled unwinding characteristic ensures gradual cable release rather than abrupt detachment.
2Reliability
If the knob is constrained to the reel only in the gripping step, then the locking mechanism is secure, but the release step becomes uncontrolled and instantaneous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the knob-Reel connection dynamic rather than static. The connection maintains axial constraint during gripping for secure locking, but allows controlled relative movement during release. The reel's ability to control cable unwinding while the knob moves axially creates a dynamic system that adapts its constraint level based on the operational phase, ensuring both secure locking and controlled release.
3Speed
If the cable unwinds instantly when the knob is raised, then the release speed is high, but the opening becomes uncontrolled and abrupt
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining the reel's controlled unwinding capability throughout the release process. Rather than allowing instantaneous cable release, the reel continuously controls the unwinding speed and rate, ensuring smooth and controlled opening of the orthopedic components. This continuous control maintains precision during the entire release sequence, preventing abrupt movements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures gradual and controlled opening of orthopedic components, preventing abrupt releases and maintaining axial restraint during the transition from gripping to release positions, thus enhancing the precision and safety of the locking mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
a ratchet mechanism with elastic tabs for precise positioning and preventing excessive opening
Data Source
AI summary
A blocking device for fastening orthoses used in the orthopedic-rehabilitation sector to parts of the body of a person comprises a casing housing a cable wound on a reel by the rotation of a knob restrained to the casing during the winding stage and partially releasable from the casing by pushing and/or pulling the knob, in order to operate with respect to a ratchet-type non-return system, wherein the ratchet-type non-return system consists of elastic tabs which are part of the casing, and an inner toothed edge of the knob. The knob is restrained in a rotating direction and unrestrained in an axial direction with respect to the reel by a pin with a shaped head, whereby the restraint between the knob and the reel is achieved by a shaped axial opening in the knob, which reflects the shape of the head of the pin, wherein maintaining the knob in the gripping/release positions is ensured by the concave profiles present on the shaped head of the pin and convex surfaces present in the opening of the knob, thereby allowing the knob to be moved from a gripping condition with the ratchet-type non-return system in the tightening and blocking stage to a release condition in the opening stage while maintaining control of the cable wound on the reel.